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“You’re not kidding.” Ryan stands at the window. “Why wouldn’t Henry use this?”
“Who knows,” I say. “He’s not exactly into natural views, is he?”
“No, not at all,” Aiden says. “He’s probably rather cover up those windows and put a TV in the corner.”
“And an Xbox,” I say.
“Of course. Can’t forget the gaming.” Aiden sighs. “I love your brother, but man, he really is missing out sometimes.”
We stand together watching the lightning strike over the ocean. The rain starts a minute later, pattering against the windows on the ceiling. We don’t say anything, but it’s incredibly comfortable standing there with Aiden and Ryan. I watch the water roil down below, the rain making a nice, easy rhythm on the windows, the thunder rolling in knee-shaking rumbles.
“How’s it going up here?” Carter appears at the top of the stairs, something bundled up in his arms.
“What’s that?” I ask him.
He comes into the room, a grin on his face, and throws down the bundle. I realize it’s a bunch of blankets and pillows. He crouches down and picks up some candles.
“You’re a genius,” I say, laughing.
“I get that a lot.” He smiles, though, clearly pleased with my compliment.
Carter gets to work setting up the candles while Aiden, Ryan, and I lay out the blankets and pillows. We create a surprisingly comfortable nest as the room slowly fills with orange candlelight.
“Not too much,” Carter says. “Otherwise, we won’t be able to see.”
We get down in the nest, all four of us easily spreading out. The candles do obscure the outside just a bit, but we can still see the ocean out there, getting rougher and rougher as the lightning comes closer, striking the water.
“What happens when lightning hits ocean?” I ask out loud.
“It electrocutes the fish,” Carter says.
Aiden looks at him. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he confirms. “Not all the way down, obviously. Anything near the surface though?” He makes a face. “Fried.”
“That’s pretty awful,” I say.
He shrugs. “It’s actually kind of neat. The lightning hits the water, and the electricity spreads out over the surface like a membrane. Eventually it just dissipates.”
“Poor fish,” I say.
“It’s actually not common,” he adds. “Lightning strikes land more often than water.”
“Why?” Ryan asks him.
“I don’t know,” Carter admits.
“Finally, something you don’t know,” Aiden says.
I laugh as the three of them start bickering about who knows more. I just lie back on my pillows, enjoying the view.
A surprisingly loud thunder blast shakes the whole house. The guys go quiet and we all stare out the windows, watching the lightning flash.
“That was close,” Carter says after a bit. “I think we’re in the middle of it now.”
Ryan reaches out and casually shuts the door to the room we’re in. I glance at him but I don’t think anything of it. He blows out one of the candles, making the room a bit darker, but the view outside a bit better.
I feel someone touch my hand. I blink, a little surprised. Carter smiles at me and squeezes my hand.
